schools in Taunton (Norton, Raynham, Lakeville: crime, neighborhoods, private schools)

[usubbiah]

We are considering a move to Taunton due to location and commute to mine and husband's work. Any opinions on the school system and other characteristics of the town. Thanks

[lrfox]

Taunton is a diverse place.

It is a "city" of about 55,000 spread out over a large area. Because of the large land area, the neighborhoods range from urban around the core (the "Green" which is a nice downtown area with a typical New England common) to beautiful old Victorian suburbs to suburban strip malls (along 140, 44 and 138), to newer sub-developments to rural neighborhoods. It has almost all of the living situations.

While downtown Taunton is pretty nice, the residential areas around aren't so wonderful. With the exception of the the areas just to the East and Southest of downtown Taunton (bounded by routes 44 and 138), which is that nice older suburban area I mentioned, the urban part of Taunton is relatively poor and there are some major issues with crime and drugs. The suburban areas can be quite nice and an excellent value for the area (because of the association with their zip).

Even if you do find a nice older suburban area or newer development in Taunton, you still have to deal with schools. Public schools are pretty bad in Taunton. Because of this, I would recommend looking at some of the communities nearby if the location is important to you or investing in private schools (there are some good ones in Taunton). Nearby, Lakeville, Raynham, Norton, and Freetown all provide the same location and relative affordability as Taunton but with exceedingly better schools and far less crime. I would suggest looking there.